Automobile.



F. HEMENWAY.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION man ocr. 13, 1913.

1,139,763. Patented May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS Cn., PHUTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D. C.

F.. HEMENWAY.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPucArloN man ocT. la. ma.

Eig.

rm, l. w, WM. um D New vvv 7....# A5 ,am L MM l T/ www Q E@ @E @mi m A THE NDRRIS PETERS CO.. PHDTU-LITHO.. WSHNGTDN. D. C,

F. HEMENWAY.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED DCT. 13, 1913. 1,39,768. Patented May 18, 1915.-

4 SHEETS--SHEET/.A

55 l 52 55 WWII, 29 1I www,

|I Il J9 @I 5g f ITMt :I 5556 IIIIIIIII 5 w 'wf-* y f/f fis' L! L,

IHE NoRRlS PETERS COI. FHUTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTUN, D, L

F. HEMENWAY.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 13. 1913.

1,139,763, APatented May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS- SHEET 4.

5 .a 4. l, 4J 6 i 591 l 2f 22 @il l ZZ ji" J6 o jf 5 14 516' o www j i" lig@ '3 THE NDRRIS PETERS C044 PHOTUJJTHO., WASHINGTDN, D. C.

AUTOMOBILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May is, isis.

Application led October 13, 1913. Serial No. 794,907.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK I-InivrENwAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook. and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automobiles and has for its object the provision of improved means of control for an automobile whereby manipulation of one controlling member' will serve as a means for the complete control of the automobile.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will beV best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken through the forward part of an automobile equipped with controlling means embodying my invention, Fig. 2, a bottomplan view corresponding to Fig. 1, Fig. 3, a section taken on line m-m of Fig. 2, Fig. 4, a section taken on line jz/-efy of Fig. 2, Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view of a controlling lever vemployed in the construction, Fig. 6, a detail view of a locking plate employed in conjunction with said lever, F ig. k7, 'a detail view of the lever mounting, Fig. 8, an enlarged view of one of a plurality 'of tortuous guide members employed in the construction, and Fig. 9, a section taken on line e-z of Fig. 8.

The preferred formV of construction as illustrated in the drawings comprises a controlling lever 1 which is in the form'of a hollow tube and is pivoted on trunnions 2 in ring 3 which in turn is pivoted on trunnions 4 in a plate 5 secured to the floor 6 of the automobile. Trunnions 2 are arranged transversely of the automobile and trunnions 4 are arranged longitudinally thereof so that said lever is mounted to swing in any direction, as will be readily understood. An operating handle 7 isy arranged to rock in any direction upon the upper end of lever 1 and is provided with depending outwardly flaring flanges 8 which serve to maintain said handle on said lever when rocked. A rod 9 is arrangedin lever 1 and secured at its upper end in handle 7, the lower end of rod 9 carrying a stop 10 said lever in different positions, as will be readily understood. By this arrangement it will be observed that by manipulating handle 7 rod 9 may be withdrawn from recesses 16 and the lever permitted to swing in a vertical longitudinal plane, and that upon further withdrawal of rod 9 the end 15 will be withdrawn from groove 14 and the lever` permitted to swing freely in any direction.

A plate 17 is arranged beneath the door of the automobile and is mounted in suitable guides 18 to slide longitudinallywith reference to the body ofthe automobile. Plate 17 is provided with a transversely extending slot 19 through which `lever 1 passes and another plate l20 is placed above plate 17 and mounted to slide transversely in suitable guides 21, said plate 20 being provided with a longitudinal slot 22 through which lever 1 also passes. By this arrangement, it will be observed that when lever 1 is swung in any direction, any longitudinal swing of the lever will impart longitudinalv motion to plate 17 and any lateral swing of lever 1 will impart transverse motion to plate 20, said plates thus serving in effect to resolve the motion of lever 1 into its component longitudinal and lateral swings. When the lever is moved only forwardly and rearwardly, plate 17 only will be moved, and when said lever is moved only laterally, plate 20 only will be moved.

A tortuous guide channel'is secured on the bottom of plate 17, said guide channel consisting of a longitudinal forward a laterally off-set portion 24 and a longitudinal rear portion 25, the rear portion 25 being Gif-set from the forward portion 23 in the opposite direction from portion 24 and the same distance. A spring held plate 26 is mountedin said guide member, as indicated in Fig. 9, said plate carrying an angularly disposed wing or flange 27 normally projecting across the forward portion of olf-set portion 24, a wing or ange 28 portion 29, n

adapted yto normally constitute the corresponding wall of the rear portion of off-set portion 24, as shown. A bell crank lever29 is pivotally mounted at 30 under the body of the vehicle and carries at one end a roller 31 normally resting in channel portion 23, as shown in Fig. 2. TheV other arm 32 of said bell crank is connected by means of a link 33y with the ordinary gear shifting rod 34 operating in the ordinary gear boX 35 toy connect the engine with the drive shaft o-f the automobile through the low gear forward and the reverse gear as is usual by moving said rod 34 inwardly and outwardly. The arrangement is such that when lever 1 is movedforwardly, bell crank 29 will be shifted to draw rod 3,4 outwardly from gear box 35 and shift the low forward kgears into mesh. Further forward movement of lever 1 will Vagain shift bell crank 29 to vreturn rod 34V to original position and Vdisconnect the low gear forward. Rearward movement of lever 1 from its position will have no effect upon bell crank 29 until roller 31Vv passes into the 'rear` portion of off-set portion y24 when said bell crank will be shifted to push rod 34 inwardly and thus shift the reverse gears initial position. f Y

into mesh. 1t will be observed that the reverse gears will alsobe'shifted intomesh'V when lever 1 yis moved rearwardly from its Plate 17 also f YYguide member Vcomprising a rear portion 36, an off-set portion 37 and a forward portion 38, thisy guide memberjbeing identical with the one already described but` reversed in position and therefore needs no further l.from box 35 andV shift the intermediate gear intofmesh. Farther forward movement of lever 1 will operate bell crank 39 to push rod 42 inwardly to Vbox 35 and thus throwv the high gear into mesh lVhen it is desired to` return from the high gear to reverse gear, lever lmay be moved at once for this purpose,

prevented from passing through off-set por-' ytions 37 and 24 bythe wings'27 and 28, as

will be readily understood. i

Another guide member is mountedfon the bottom of plate 17 and is provided with a front portion 43 and rear portion 44 which are in alinement with each other and connected with an off-set portion 45. A roller carries another tortuous rollers 40 and 31 being 46v on a bell crank 47'no'rmall'y restsin olfset portion 45, the other arm 43 of said bell crank being connected with a rod 49 which in turn is connected with the brake of the automobile. By this arrangement it will be observed that upon movement of lever 1 in either direction from its normal position as shown, thebrake rod 49 will be operated, said brake rod being connected with the brake to release the same, so that when vlever lis in its normal position of rest, the

brake of the automobile will be applied as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Another tortuous guide member 50 is arranged on the bottom of plate 17 and is similar in all respects to guide member 43, 44 except'that the roaf-set portion therein is turned in the other direction. This guide member 50 serves to operate a bell crank 51 which in turn operates a rod 52 which is connected with the throttle valve and timer of the engine and serves as a means yfor controlling said engine.

the spark retarded when lever 1 is in its normal position of rest but said spark will bey advanced and the engineY unthrottled upon movement of the lever in either :for- Vward or rearward direction thus giving full power of the engine when in use to drive the vehicle Y power when the vehicle isA at rest.Vv

Plate 20 vcarries a :laterallyfprojecting rack' bar 53 which meshes with a pinion 54 on al longitudinally extending shaft 55. Shaft 55 carriesl a pinion 56 which meshes with a rack bar 57 ona ccnnectingbar 58 butk Vautomatically reduce said Y The arrangement ,Y 1 is such thatv the engine will be throttled and which' connects the usual arms 59l on the 2- steering knuckles ofthe automobile. By thisl arrangement, it' will be observed that upon lateralV shift of lever 1, rackbar. 57 willy be operated to steer the vehicle from one sideto :the other depending-uponthe i direction in which lever 1 is shifted.

observed that by -manipulating .the single lever 1 thefautomobile may be' steered, the transmission gears shifted, the brakeoperated and the engine controlled. Y

' While 1 have illustrated and described the preferred forrnof construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation andV modification without departing from the spiritof the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth,-but` desire to avail myself of such variations and the appended claims. Y

Having described my `invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l l l 110 By the construction disclosed it will be modifications as come within the scope of 1. The'combination with'a motor driven Y. l

vehicle provided'with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a lever mounted on said vehicle to swing in two different directions; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing oit said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond with the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; and` operative connections between said plates and said gearing and steering mechanism,'whereby the movement of one plate shifts said gearing and the movement of the other plate operates said steering mechanism, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a motor.` driven vehicle provided withV transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a lever pivoted on said vehicle on two diierentaxes; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide ink one direction of swing of said leverand the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond with the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; and operative connections between said plates and said gearing and steering mechanism, whereby the movement of one plate shifts said gearing and the movement of the other plate operates said steering mechanism, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a motor driven vehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a support on said vehicle mounted to swing in one direction; a lever mounted in said support to swing in a digerent direction; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing of said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond withV the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; and operative connections between said plates and said gearing and steering mechanism, whereby the movement of one plate shifts said gearing and the movement of the other plate operates said steering mechanism, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a motor driven vehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a support on said vehicle pivoted to swing on one aXis; a lever pivoted in said support to swing on a different axis; two plates slidably mounted onv said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing of said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond with the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; and operative connections between said plates and said gearing and steering mechanism, whereby the movement of one plate shifts said gearing' and the movement of the other plate operates said steering mechanism, substantially as described. f

5. The combination with a motor driven vehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a. lever mounted on said vehicle to swing in two different directions; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing of said lever and the other plate being mountedy to slide in the other direction yoi swing of-said lever, said plates being provided withV intersecting slots arranged to correspond with the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; an operative connection between one of said plates and said steering mechanism; a tortuous guide on said other plate; alever operable by said guide; and an operative connection between said last mentioned lever and said gearing, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a motor driven vehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a lever pivoted on said vehicle on two different axes; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one Vdirection of swing of said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond with the directions of'swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; an operative connection between one of said plates and said steering mechanism; a tortuous guide on said other plate; a lever operable by said guide; and an operative connection between said last mentioned lever and said gearing, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a motor driven vehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a Vsupport on said vehicle mounted to swing in one direction; a lever mounted in said support to swing in a different direction; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing of said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide in the other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots ar'- ranged to correspond with the directions of swing of said lever and said lever being passed through said slots; an operative con-4 nection between one of said plates and said steering mechanism; a tortuous guide on said .other plate; a Vlever operable by said guide ;.andV an operative connection 'between said last mentioned lever and said gearing, substantially as described.v ,Y I. 8. rEhe combination with a motor driven yvehicle provided with transmission gearing and steering mechanism, of a support on said vehicle pivoted to swing on one aXis; a

lever pivoted in said support to swing on a,

different axis; two plates slidably mounted on said vehicle, one of said l plates being mounted to slide in one direction of swing of said lever and the other plate being mounted to slide inthe other direction of swing of said lever, said plates being provided with intersecting slots arranged to correspond with A the directions of swing of said lever and said lever beingr passed through said slots; an operative connection between one` of said plates andsaid steering mechanism; a tortuous guide onv said other plate; a lever operable by said-guide; and an operative connection between said last mentioned lever rand said gearing, substantially as described.

f V.9. The combination with a motor driven Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

vehiclenprovided'with transmission gearing, steerlngmechanlsm, a brake and engine con` said lever, said platesbeing provided withl intersecting slots arranged Vto correspond with the dlrections lof swing of saidv lever,

said lever beingpassed through said slots;

an operative connection ybetween one of said plates andsaid steering mechanism; a plu-Y rality of tortuous, guide members on said other plate; levers operable bysaidl guide; and operative connections between said last mentioned .levers and said gearing, brake Y and enginev control, substantially7 as ldescribed@ v V f 'i Y .In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y Y

FRANK HEMENWAY.

Witnesses: Y

JOSHUA R. H. Po'r'rs, ARTHUR A. OLsoN. i

Washingtomn!! 'Y Y lso 

